We arrived at the Bridge having partaken of a few beverages at the Legless Ladder, so we were in high spirits as we took our seats. The ground looked a bit different, with all the Champions League advertising hoardings taking up the front two rows (typical: make a few bucks at the expense of supporters who kept the club going when there was no corporate money flowing around), and a huge Champs League flag covering the centre circle. The pitch looked beautiful, even after a day of heavy rain.

We were in the Shed Upper east wraparound, almost directly above the Milan supporters, who were in fine voice. The Chelsea fans were fairly quiet at this point, as most people were talking to their neighbours and drinking in the atmosphere. Suddenly the ridiculously pompous Champions League theme music blared from the speakers, and the players emerged onto the pitch. The place went mental. We were then asked to sit around for the next ten minutes while the various leeches from EUFA were hauled away from their free baby panda dinners and introduced to the teams. They then staggered back to their free after dinner brandies and cigars, and us mortals were allowed to get on with it.

The atmosphere built up to fever pitch before the kickoff, and the cheer round the ground when the whistle went was something else. Chelsea immediately took the initiative, and it was clear that they were up for this game in a very big way. AC Milan appeared taken aback by the ferocity of Chelsea's attack, and we were in a constant state of near ecstasy as Chelsea probed Milan's defences. Franco Zola, in particular, was a revelation. We all know how he can play, but this evening he was totally inspired. Over the course of the evening it's no exaggeration to say that he could easily have had a hat trick. I've never seen him play better, and he definitely lifted the team as he roasted the experienced Costacurta on a regular basis. Chelsea laid siege to Milan's goal for the first 45 minutes, with barely any reply.

The fact that Chelsea kept Milan as quiet as they did is in no small measure due to Marcel Desailly, who completely nullified the Ģ18 million Ukrainian striker Shevchenko, acknowledged to be one of the world's top five in his position. Desailly was as inspired as Zola, reading the game to perfection. I can't remember one occasion when he was beaten. I've sometimes thought that he's a bit over-rated, and have found him a bit on the laid back side for my liking, but on Wednesday night all doubts were torn away. His mate Leboeuf backed him up admirably until he collided horribly with a Milan player. He spent a long time on the deck, was carried off and then came back on, but it was clear he was in trouble. He suddenly clutched his ribs and went over, and this time he didn't come back when carried off. He was replaced by Jes Hogh, who fitted in nicely after a dodgy start. Happily Frankie hasn't broken anything, just severe bruising of the ribs.

The closest Chelsea came to scoring during a first half of many chances was when a Milan player lost the ball to Zola as they were breaking out, leaving a huge gap at the back. Franco released Petrescu, who was on the overlap. Dan danced past Maldini with ease, and tried to chip the keeper when he should have simply squared the ball to the waiting, and unmarked, Flo and Poyet. The ball rolled harmlessly past the post, and the looks of disgust on the faces of Flo and Poyet on the way back to the half way line were as eloquent as any words. It didn't seem to matter at the time, as we looked like scoring at any moment, but in retrospect it was probably the turning point of the match. The invention and sheer skill of Zola kept us all enthralled until suddenly the half time whistle intruded on this magnificent spectacle. Make no mistake, it WAS a magnificent spectacle. You didn't need to be a fan of either side to see that.

AC Milan didn't get all those trophies for nothing, though, and although my assertion to my mates that things would be different in the second half was mercilessly ridiculed, it did turn out to be the case. Chelsea were to blame in part, as the concentration of the first half seemed to be lacking after the break, and it wasn't long before Milan took advantage. They suddenly seemed to find openings that hadn't been there previously, and the class of their players soon began to tell. Don't get the idea that they were killing us, though, far from it. Our defence soaked up the pressure just as Milan had in the first half, and the best chances of the match fell to Chelsea in the second half.

Albertini and Bierhof looked a lot more lively as their team mates were able to feed them the ball a bit more, and eventually Albertini loosed off a shot from thirty yards that, although De Goey collected it at knee height comfortably, Bierhof was following up and would have scored if De Goey had spilled it. Bierhof was also allowed to get behind the defence on crosses, several times getting in free headers at the far post. Fortunately nothing came of it, but you could clearly see the understanding that Bierhof and Shevchenko have between them, and it was pretty scary.

Luckily for us, the chances for our forwards started to increase as well, as we caught Milan coming forward. Deschamps had the measure of Albertini in midfield, and was terrier-like in his aggression. He won countless balls because of his attitude, and was the lynchpin in midfield. Dennis Wise benefitted from it, and played a crucial role in holding the line. The best chance of the game came with around twenty minutes left, where Zola and Petrescu combined with a breathtaking display of one-two passing that split the famous Milan defence wide open in a heartbeat. Zola ended up just outside the six yard box with only Abbiati, the Milan keeper, to beat. Zola slid the ball past him, and we watched in agony as it rebounded of the post straight back into Abbiati's grasp. We couldn't believe it.

Another chance fell to Zola minutes later, when the ball rebounded off Costacurta and fell to Franco, unmarked in the area. He loosed off a left footed shot that Abbiati somehow pushed around the post with his fingertips, without doubt the save of the match. Abbiati saved Milan on several occasions on the night, and had an absolute blinder. After that the game ebbed and flowed until the Brazilian Leonardo's snap shot from thirty yards that thudded against the bar with De Goey well beaten. The Milan manager was so impressed that he immediately substituted Leonardo. It would have been cruel luck indeed to have lost on that one moment of skill, but typical of AC Milan, who are a great side. I imagine we'll have our hands pretty full in Italy.

If this is going to be the standard of Chelsea's play in this competition, it bodes well for the future. All we're really lacking is an out and out striker - no disprespect to Flo or Zola, both of whom are providers as well as scorers. Every disrespect to Sutton, who has no excuse whatsoever. Full credit must be given to the entire Chelsea team, who were magnificent. The only two players who appeared under the weather were Gus Poyet - who was quiet in the unfamiliar left wing position he's being asked to play in, and appeared to be constantly frustrated - and the aforementioned Sutton, who came on for Flo late in the second half and did absolutely nothing, apart from falling over a few times..

I suppose it's foolhardy to predict that we'll win the competition based on one match, but let's just say that there's plenty of room for optimism, given the sheer quality of the opposition on Wednesday night. Whether we can overcome opposition with less skill but more determination remains to be seen, and the answer will not be long coming. Meanwhile I can only reflect on a game that will probably remain one of the finest ever played at Stamford Bridge, and thank my stars I was there to see it.